Times have changed, possibly forever, in recent weeks. COVID-19 has not only affected the millions fighting the disease, but it’s also affecting nearly every aspect of life-as-we-knew it. No one seems to be immune to either the virus or its impact on the economy. While new procedures and medicines are being implemented for the sick, and new stimulus plans and rollouts kick-off for citizens, there are some resources available specifically for digital marketers.
Google is committing more than $800 million to support small and medium-sized businesses, health organizations, and health workers on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19. This includes a $200 million investment fund to support non-profit organizations and financial institutions to help provide small businesses with access to capital.
“As one example, we’re working with the Opportunity Finance Network in the U.S. to help fill gaps in financing for people and communities underserved by mainstream financial institutions.”
In an attempt to help small and mid-sized businesses, Google is providing more than $340 million in ad credits which can be used towards future ad-spend in 2020 across Google’s Ad Platform.
Google My Business is making recommendations to those businesses affected by COVID-19, including making temporary changes to your GMB profile. Changes to hours of operation, any extra services you’re providing for the community, even marking your business as temporarily closed. Marking a business as “temporarily closed” won’t affect your local search ranking and will be treated the way an open business is. If you provide pickup or delivery services, they recommend that you do not mark your business as Temporarily Closed.
The updates will show on your Business Profile on Google Search and Maps.
Facebook, like Google and the U.S. Treasury, is cognizant of the effect that COVID-19 is having on advertisers. Similarly, they’re offering financial support in the way of $100M in cash grants and ad credits. Up to 30,000 small businesses are eligible to receive assistance. If you have between 2 and 50 employees, have been in business for more than a year, and have experienced challenges from COVID-19, your business may be eligible with the assistance of anything from connecting with more customers to helping with your rent and operational costs. New York and San Francisco are already accepting applications with other U.S. cities soon following. You can read the application guide here.
“We’ve seen and heard how much the coronavirus pandemic is affecting how businesses serve their communities around the world. As business owners make changes to the services they offer, we know many of you have to reconsider things like what to do about marketing and how much to spend on ads.”
Addressing concerns around strategy, optimization, and evaluation, these tips are resources that marketers need to consider.
Showing a sign of maturation for the platform, Snapchat has created a portal to help partners navigate this uncertain time. You’ll find downloadable resources, past webinars, and sign up for future webinars. There are recommendations for content creators and marketers, as well as detailed information on how Snapchat users have been staying informed and communicating on the platform. For marketers looking to reach Gen Z, Snapchat shouldn’t be overlooked.
As the world continues to fight the virus, and politicians continue to fight each other, digital marketing recommendations and opportunities keep changing. Currently, those changes are largely focused in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while that may not change for quite some time, the individual updates and recommendations are being made with incredible frequency.
Stay tuned for more breaking digital marketing news around COVID-19 here, stay safe, stay home.
Jonathan oversees business development, client management, and the overall strategic direction of Bullseye Strategy, which he co-founded with Maria Harrison in 2009. A digital industry veteran with extensive experience in online media and partner marketing, Jonathan has successfully negotiated multi-million dollar partnerships with a range of high-profile companies, including Google, eBay, and the NFL. Previously, Jonathan served as vice president of business development and strategy at ContentNow, and worked at Interval International, a former subsidiary of Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp, where he managed multi-million dollar budgets and oversaw the launch of several new products.
Prior to Interval, Jonathan spent five years at CBS SportsLine.com, where he was a key member of the company’s business development team and responsible for the initial launch of the groundbreaking March Madness on Demand live streaming franchise. He holds a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and a bachelor’s degree in political science from SUNY Binghamton. Schwartz is a sports enthusiast who lives out his hoop dreams both on the court and off, where he plays regularly and has coached both his son and daughter’s basketball teams.
Maria Harrison
Co-Founder and President
As President of Bullseye Strategy, Maria leads digital marketing strategy, account planning and account management, resource planning, client relations, community outreach, and general operations. Prior to co-founding the agency in 2009, Maria served as the Vice President of Marketing for the interactive marketing training firm, Laredo Group, and was Director of Online Marketing for Interval International, an IACI company, as well as Global Partners Group, a financial securities trading firm.
Maria Harrison is a sought-after speaker at events, including the Direct Marketing Association, WeMedia, and the Online Marketing Summit. Voted Top 50 Business Women in Miami in 2018 and 2019, and ranked # 1 of 100 Outstanding Women of Broward County for leadership and influence in the community in 2014, Maria was elected to the Orange Bowl Committee in 2015. She also is a founding board member of the South Florida Interactive Marketing Association and the designer of the digital marketing certificate program curriculum at the University of San Francisco, where she taught from 2008-2012.
Maria is a single mom of two beautiful children, crushing a 60-hour workweek and not missing a single basketball, little league, or Cub Scout event.
Jena Boukelif
SEO Manager
Jena leads our search engine optimization efforts and is responsible for whether Google favors our clients in their organic search results. Jena came to Bullseye with over 9 years of SEO experience and has managed everything from keyword research to technical site audits and enterprise-level cutovers with successful outcomes.
Jena is a graduate of Palm Beach University, and in her downtime, Jena enjoys spending time with her daughter and a health and fitness lifestyle.
Adam Kirschner
Senior Director of Content Marketing
Adam leads social media, influencer marketing, and content marketing for Bullseye Strategy. Previously, he served as Social Media Marketing Manager for Atlantis Paradise Islands, Bahamas, and Digital Program Director for iHeartMedia. Adam has extensive experience with brand contesting, web and social content creation, and audio and video production. While keeping an eye on the consumer user experience of any project, he’s got the other one on the key performance indicator metrics and analytics. He one drove 1 million page views in 3 days with a single piece of content!
A graduate of the University of Miami, Adam enjoys spending time with his daughter, wife, and puppy.
Chris Rodman
Senior Director of Search & Analytics
Chris has worked with Bullseye Strategy since the beginning in 2009, ultimately joining the team full time in 2019. Chris is laser-focused on how paid search performs for our clients and generates outstanding ROAS for the smallest businesses up through the largest enterprises leading the management of millions of paid search dollars for Bullseye Strategy’s clients. Chris owns and maintains a strong relationship with Google, ensuring our clients gain early access to beta tests and top-notch support from their team.
Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida in International Finance. When he’s not dealing with Google, he’s rocking out as a home DJ or learning a new Kung Fu move.
